When the high priest John, son of Mattathias, saw this, he appeared before Nicanor's house and demanded entrance. To that end he sent to Jerusalem his general Nicanor, who raged furiously against the pious Jews, and set up an idol in the Temple. In the twenty-third year of his reign, Antiochus determined to begin the religious war against the Jews. His general Bagras also founded a city beyond Antioch, and called it after himself. The scroll begins with a description of the greatness and power of Antiochus, who was mighty and victorious, and built Antioch, a city on the seacoast (a misunderstanding of Gen. An additional proof of the same fact is furnished by the language and subject-matter of the work itself. This view also nullifies all speculation that the Talmud and the Midrashim drew upon a 'Book of the Hasmoneans.' At any rate, it may be asserted that the Megillat Antiochus was written at a time when even the vaguest recollection of the Maccabeans had disappeared. 65, and leave no doubt concerning the obscure expression since the words of Nehemiah or the similar expression, 'when Elijah shall appear,' were used to express the idea that what has disappeared, or lies hidden, will some time make its reappearance (I Macc. The last words of the passage originate in Neh. The passage should be translated: 'The oldest of the pupils of Shammai and Hillel wrote 'Megillat Bet Ḥashmonai.' But up to the present time nothing is known of the Megillah and this state of incognizance will last until the priest shall appear with the Urim and Thummim.' 615), but, even if the expression, 'Megillat bet Ḥashmonai,' of the printed text be adopted, the passage would then bear the very opposite meaning to the one that has been deduced from it since the time of Rapoport.

150, 180), which leaves no doubt concerning the identity of the Megillah with this 'Book of the Hasmoneans.' But the much-discussed 'Scroll of the House of the Hasmoneans,' which, it is alleged, the 'Halakot Gedolot' quotes (middle of the eighth century), is purely imaginary for not only does the manuscript read in this passage, 'Megillat Ta'anit' ('Halakot Gedolot,' ed. He referred to it as 'Ketab Bene Ḥashmonai' (translating doubtless the Hebrew 'Sefer Bene Ḥashmonai'), and cited a verse from it (Harkavy, 'Zikkaron la-Rishonim,' v. Saadia (892-942) was the first to make mention of this little book. Name of a pseudepigraph, written in Hebrew, describing the revolt of the Maccabees, and depicting its glorious course.

Scroll of glorious battle